Group Dynamics for Tabletop Roleplayers (2016)

From publisher blurb:

You have a game. You have people willing to play that game. Now what? There are several good resources on how to plan and run an adventure. Finding other players is as easy as conducting an internet search or dropping in at your friendly local game store. What’s missing is a comprehensive guide to organizing a group, dealing with disparate personalities, and handling the various issues that are likely to arise.

Over the years I have run and played in dozens of games with all sorts of people. I’ve played with groups with as many as 17 players, in a weekly group that held together for years. Every group that succeeded had certain things in common; all that failed shared the same set of flaws. What if we put the same level of rigor around group dynamics that we put into learning the mechanics and balancing adventures? What if our expectation that other players behave courteously and responsibly were as high as our requirement that they know their character’s abilities and understand the system — or are at least willing to learn?

Most of you don’t need to be told how to play well with others. Unfortunately, you’ll run into people who do. For whatever reason, they never learned this particular set of social skills. Sitting down to play a game with them can be like herding cats — occasionally entertaining, but mostly frustrating. You’ll wonder if you’re wasting your time, and begin to think about other things you could be doing that involve less hassle. I have seen people leave groups, and quit the hobby entirely not because they didn’t enjoy roleplaying or love the campaign they were in, but because no one knew how to coordinate a group or deal with difficult players.

Rather than hoping that your group comes together organically, with people magically self-organizing and good things happening by accident, you can plan. Prepping for the success of your group is as essential as knowing the rules of the game and having everything you need ready to run an adventure. With a little bit of forethought you can build a game group that runs smoothly. Then you can focus on the serious business of having fun, week after week, for months and years to come.